I'll Never Let Her Go Again
by lavaduck
Summary: Basically just a few scenes (taking place during the last few episodes of the show) which slightly alter a couple of things. Might be a couple things which (accidentally) contradict the actual events of the show, but oh well \ (ツ) /
1. Chapter 1

_"I…can't stop….loving….Ryuji…"_

The words echoed over and over again in Takasu's mind. It had been a few days since it had all happened – Taiga getting lost in the blizzard, him going out and looking for her with Kitamura and Kushieda, finding her nearly unconscious, and then hearing her utter those words as he carried her through the snow – and still, he was in disbelief at the very thought.

"She couldn't – I mean, she had to have been delirious or something. O-or I was imagining it. Or maybe-" he stopped himself. "I don't know what happened, exactly. But there's no way it was real. Right?"

After all, Taiga had been trying so hard to get him and Kushieda together. Especially recently, even though she had shot him down on the night of the Christmas party – before he'd even had a chance to confess his feelings. If anything, that had only strengthened Taiga's efforts. "I KNOW Minorin likes you!" she repeatedly insisted. "You just gotta try harder!"

"If _she's_ in love with me, why would she be doing that? It doesn't make sense!" he angrily muttered under his breath. "Why would she sacrifice her own feelings-"

And then it hit him.

"-to make someone else happy."

In that moment, memories flooded back into his mind. How, because of his insistence, she had tried to reconnect with her father, even though she had to have known he would break his promises again. How, in spite of her own heartbreak, she had picked a fight with the student council president over her refusal to tell Kitamura her true feelings. How she talked about buying Christmas presents for all those orphans every year, and how she wanted to show them that someone out there was watching over them. She was always trying to put others before herself.

"The night of the Christmas party, too…" he somberly recalled. "She kept telling me to go out and find Kushieda, and so I just…left her there."

He buried his face in his hands. "God, I'm such an idiot."

All of this time, he had been so blind to her feelings, and the pain she was going through trying to hide them, so that he could be happy. But how could he be happy, knowing how she was suffering? A realization dawned on him as he remembered the words he had said on the day she'd gotten lost on the mountain:

"I said I'll never let her go again…and I meant it."


	2. Chapter 2

The next few weeks were agonizing for Takasu. Taiga was staying with her mother while she recovered from the incident, and thoughts of what he would say to her when she finally came back weighed heavily on his mind.

"Where do I even begin…" he quietly mumbled to himself, slowly pacing through the hall on his way to class.

"Heeeeey Takasu!" a voice suddenly rang out, interrupting his introspection.

He quickly turned around to see the source. "Oh hey, K-Kushieda," he stammered. "What's up?"

"Not much! Just heading to class!" she cheerfully replied. "What's going on with you though? You look like something's bothering you."

"S-sorta…" he managed to answer.

"Is it Taiga? Don't worry, I'm sure she's fine! I know it's a bummer not having her around, but I'm sure she'll be back in no time at all! And it's all thanks to you, you know!" She sounded as upbeat and ecstatic as ever. A welcome sight, considering how melancholy she'd been recently, but not enough to life the unease in Takasu's mind.

"Y-yeah, that too, but…there's something else," he said, taking a deep breath. "It's about…what happened that night. The night of the party…"

Kushieda's face slowly adopted a solemn look. "Oh yeah…that…"

Seeing her reaction, he tensed up, having second thoughts about pressing the matter. But just as quickly, he reassured himself. "I've chickened out on for too long already," he thought. "I have to resolve this, once and for all."

"I just have to know-I mean, what you said, were you-" he struggled to find the right words to convey the question, but before he could, Kushieda cut him off.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Takasu was taken aback. "W-what for?"

"I should've just been straight with you," she replied, "instead of…using all those weird metaphors and stuff."

His heart sank as he heard those words. "So then, you mean-"

"I like you, Takasu," Kushieda continued, "as a friend. You're a really nice guy, and I appreciate everything you've done for me. Listening to me ramble on about ghosts and UFOs and all that silly stuff, and trying to cheer me up when I'm sad – I really am grateful for all of it. But…" she paused just for a moment. "I just…don't feel that way about you."

Takasu slowly closed his eyes and lowered his head. "I see…"

As she watched him, Kushieda felt slightly guilty. She quivered slightly as she started to speak. "Takasu, I'm really so-"

"Don't be."

She stopped. "Huh?"

"It's not your fault that you don't feel that way," Takasu stated. "You don't have to apologize for things that are out of your control. Just like what happened with that ornament of Taiga's. Things just happen sometimes, and you don't have to feel bad about that. And besides…"

He hesitated for a moment, remembering what his thoughts from the other night.

"I think…I might feel the same way."

Kushieda's remorse turned to confusion. "What do you mean?" she questioned.

"Well, it's just…I've had a crush on you for the longest time, but I was always too scared to admit my feelings," Takasu explained. "And then when I was about to tell you, that night, you turned me down before I could even say anything, and I was devastated. But recently, I've been thinking….maybe my feelings for you aren't what I thought they were. Maybe what I really want is…to just be a really good friend to you. That's why I wanted make sure I knew how you felt. You know what I mean?"

Kushieda smiled softly. "Yeah, I get you. Honestly, I'm really relieved to hear you say that, because-"

She stopped shortly, as her eyes started to well, and a single tear fell to the floor.

"I…-I'd hate to lose you as a friend."

Almost unthinkingly, Takasu immediately wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. He felt a little embarrassed once he realized what he was doing, but he continued to hold her anyway.

"I'll never stop being your friend," he said, "so don't worry."

Blushing lightly, Kushieda wiped her eyes and looked up at him. "Thank you, Takasu."

Takasu smiled, and as he released her from his embrace, his eyes wandered toward the clock on the wall. Noticing the time, he was instantly torn free from the emotion of the moment. "Oh shoot! Class is about to start!" He dashed into the classroom, with Kushieda, similarly experiencing shock, right behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Time seemed to drag on endlessly after that. It had been almost two months, and still Taiga hadn't returned to school. "What if she never comes back?" Takasu worried. "No, don't be ridiculous, of course she will!" he tried to reassure himself, but it wasn't very effective.

It was late at night, and his mother still hadn't returned from work. "She's pushing herself way too hard," he thought. "I know she wants me to go to college and all, but…I really don't want her to overwork herself…"

Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door. "Oh, finally," he sighed in relief. He walked over to open it, and started right into a lecture. "It's about time you got back. Look, I know you-"

He stopped abruptly as he saw who was standing in front of him.

"T-T-Taiga!"

"Yeah, hey, what's up Ryuji?" Taiga casually asked. "Listen, the door to my apartment's locked, so can I get in through your window?"

"Well, yeah, sure, but-" Takasu stuttered nervously as he searched for the words he wanted to say. All this time stressing over what to say to her, and now he was totally caught off guard! "I mean, you've been gone for so long, and now you just show up out of nowhere like that? How have you been, everyone's been so worried about you!"

"Jeez, calm down, would you?" she retorted in irritation. "I'm fine, I've just been spending some time with my mom since I had the chance to. Now let me through, I'm tired."

"Alright, fine," he relented. They walked into his room, and he opened the window which faced directly towards the one to her apartment. "Here you go."

"Thanks," she said, beginning to climb through. Just as she was about to make the jump over, she paused.

"Um, Ryuji…" she spoke softly, "there was something I wanted to ask you."

Takasu's pulse quickened. "S-sure, what is it?"

"That night on the mountain…when Kitamura rescued me. I was…I felt like I was dreaming, and I was saying things…stupid, embarrassing things. And I just wanted to know…did I actually say anything? Or was I just dreaming?" She turned to look at him, and he could see a pleading sadness in her eyes.

He froze up. "That's right," he thought to himself. "She still thinks it was Kitamura who saved her…"

Doubts crept over him. "And she's trying to pretend that she never said...that. Maybe I should just…"

Then he stopped himself, remembering his promise. "No. I've gotta tell her the truth."

"Well, the thing is…it wasn't Kitamura who rescued you."

She turned to look at him. "Huh?"

"It was me."

Taiga's face instantly turned bright red. "W-What? No way! You didn't-" she stopped herself, and tried to pretend she had calmed down. "T-then…you know I didn't say anything! Right?"

Takasu began to blush too. He was afraid to tell her the truth, but he knew that he had to. He gathered up his courage, and with a deep breath, he let it out: "Yeah. You did."

Her face turned even redder. "No! You're lying! Ryuji…you…" tears began to form in her eyes.

"I'm telling the truth!" he burst out angrily, and then stopped, realizing his mistake. "I mean…I…"

He paused.

"I know what you're trying to do."

She looked up at him, still on the verge of crying.

"You really wanted to help me and Kushieda get together…and you were really willing to do anything to make that happen. And I'm truly grateful for that. But you don't have to worry about that anymore."

She began to tremble as Takasu went on.

"I finally told her how I felt...and she said she didn't feel the same. I was disappointed at first, but…then I started to feel like, maybe my crush on her was just an illusion. I mean, I do love her, but not in the way that I thought."

Now he was starting to quiver too. Still, he continued.

"Like, it's the same with you and Kitamura, right? You care about him, but just as a really close friend you wanna be there for, right? It's the same with me and Kushieda. I realize that now. And I realized something else, too."

Breaking her long silence, Taiga spoke again, her voice shaking. "Y-you mean…"

"The one who's really been supporting me, and been there for me, and that I've been close to this whole time…I…"

Finally it came out.

"I love you, Taiga!"

At those words, she couldn't hold back any more. She burst into tears.

"R-Ryuji…you…you jerk… you said everything I wanted to say before I could," she sputtered between sobs. "But I…I never would've done it, because I…I couldn't let you do this…"

"I told you, you don't have to worry!" he whispered. "It's all right…"

She smiled. "I know…I just…I can't believe it's really…" she stuttered out, before giving up on speaking and wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

"I love you too, Ryuji."


End file.
